‘We have dismantled jail mafias; some inmates out to derail our efforts’

Prisons making headlines for the wrong reasons is nothing new. But authorities in Karnataka say they are taking concrete steps to turn things around. Measures such as installing anti-throwing nets, setting up a central command centre, building an internal intelligence network, and dismantling notorious gangs are being rolled out to sanitise the system. Alok Kumar, DGP (Prisons and Correctional Services), speaks about the range of reforms underway across the state’s prisons. Excerpts:

The recent incidents in Karnataka prisons, like the one where inmates of Central Jail in Bengaluru were found watching OTT platforms, have dented the image of the prison department…

The entire episode was part of a plan hatched by some prisoners to derail the strong systems being put in place to cleanse the jails and demoralise the top rungs of the prison administration. Only 10 days prior to the incident did we shift prisoners to different barracks in alphabetical order. The plan is to dismantle the gangs and break the nexuses forged inside the prison. The episode was preceded by prisoners arguing with our staff, demanding why they were being shifted. While some gangs reconciled, others didn’t and planned to demoralise us. They shot videos of phones being hidden and prisoners freely watching movies on OTT to send out a message that anything can be brought inside the prison. We confiscated the phones and initiated action against those who hatched the conspiracy. We successfully moved the undertrial prisoners and are now in the process of moving high-security inmates accused in bomb blasts and other highly sensitive cases. Prison inmates below 21 years and first-time offenders have also been separated. We don’t want first-time offenders and young offenders to mix with hardened criminals.  

What are the other measures being implemented in Karnataka’s prisons?

We want to develop an ‘intelligence collection system’ within the prisons to keep an eye on prisoners’ activities. We are also regularly collecting data, with the assistance  of the Central Crime Branch, from respective ‘tower dumps’ to know how many phones are still being used inside Parappana Agrahara Central Prison – how many calls are being made and received. We have managed to confiscate a substantial number of phones, but about 10-15% of phones have evaded us. We have also equipped our staff with 615 body-worn cameras to not only gather evidence but also deter any physical or verbal abuse. We are also increasing the number of ‘prison call systems’ from the current 10 to 50 in Parappana Agrahara to facilitate communication between inmates and their families. More than 100 such new systems are being installed across the state. Cashless canteen system inside the Bengaluru Central Prisons will be brought in so that transactions can be monitored. We have also introduced a prisoners movement detection system and an intrusion detection system, both of which are AI-powered, to get an idea if someone is trying to come inside or go outside. This will help monitor and understand the intent of both staff and prisoners.

How successful have your staff been in dismantling prison mafias?

We have managed to successfully dismantle the growing mafias inside our prisons. There was a prisoner called Kothi Paya in the Bengaluru jail who would collect Rs 300 per day from fellow inmates as hafta if they wanted to remain in certain barracks. He would deliberately not seek bail. He has now been moved to a prison in Vijayapura. There was another instance where a prisoner paid Rs 30,000 to a fellow inmate. This came to light after his sister called and alerted us about the cashless transfer he had made. I personally investigated the matter and broke these structures inside the prison. These initiatives come with their own risks. Last week, Ballari prison inmates manhandled a jailer demanding beedi, cigarettes and tobacco.
But we are keeping watch over any such activities that may still be continuing in the prison.

Are anti-throwing nets to stop things from being thrown inside prisons and raising the prison wall heights to 30 feet helping? Still, phones are found. Why?

Anti-throwing nets have been put up in the Mangaluru jail and parts of Parappana Agrahara. We have proposed the same for Belagavi and Ballari prisons as well. This involves heavy cost. But there have been instances where phones wrapped in polythene bags are placed to two to three feet inside the toilet pipe. Existing equipment like Non-Linear Junction Detectors or other such equipment available with us are not capable of detecting contraband items kept deep inside the underground pipes. 

Why are jammer facilities not effective inside prisons?

A jammer facility often runs into problems in some pockets of a targeted area because of technical challenges in restricting radio waves. We have also noticed that during our survey of prisons, the signal strength is weak and get stronger once we leave. We have written to a service provider in particular and are in the process of sorting this out.

What about the Central Prison Command Centre in place in the state?

We have a Command Centre where we get live feeds from all our central jails at Bengaluru, Mysuru, Shivamogga, Belagavi, Vijaypura, Dharward and Kalaburagi, and district jails in Tumakuru, Ramanagara, Mangaluru and one more place. The live feeds give us an idea about the movement and activity of the inmates.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.